-Mongrel-

Bird wings strapped around a favourite dummy worked well for me as part of the transition. We went dummies, rabbit skin, wings round a dummy, cold bird in a stocking, cold bird, warm bird, RUNNER! The last one was unintentional, it was dead when I sent her for it, but it didn't realise it! It scooted, she just looked at it, looked at me in astonishment and then responded to my urges to get on and nailed it. That was the final hurdle, she will now retrieve anything!

I do like a Kwacker, it's that do-it-right-or-I-will-bite-your-**** edginess about them. But therein lies the rub. You do a test on a 650 Versys or something similar, and pass. Jump straight on to a smaller engined (so surely slower) R6, Gixer 6 etc, bang the throttle wide open and then try and work out how to put the front wheel back on the tarmac before the next bend! Scared the living daylights outta myself the first few times, then you get used to it and want more...and more. They truly are addictive!!! I reached the pinnacle for me (Fireblade) and had to back off before I killed myself or someone else. Over 100mph in second gear and what, 4 maybe 5 seconds to get there just isn't sane. I scaled back to a tourer, well, a Blackbird anyway.

Magnums are really not as good as their reputation suggests. Two pairs ( didn't learn the first time!) and both lasted less than a year of general dog walking/shooting/ fishing. Would NOT buy them for work.

No the are not steel proof by the look of it, but, you should be fine using standard pressure steel, just don't use any HP loads and no more than half choke.

Brilliant! Silver linings and all that. Well pleased for you.

I'd struggle to get a brace of Bass around these parts at the moment!!!!!! Good plan though!

No reason why really. Mal S should have realised he's wrong this time and have the good grace to quit before making himself look any sillier.

Yeah, my regular shooting buddy has rejoined Fenland this year and tends to do the Friday eve flight, 2 flights(sometimes 3) on Saturday and the morning on the Sunday before heading back down. He didn't rejoin locally and that was the swaying factor in my decision this year with cost. I don't mind shooting alone and indeed quite like it on occasion, but also enjoy the craic and a couple of pints after an evening flight.

10 mainly carrions. 4806

Just 4 for a couple of hours this morning, and a good few crows but thats for elsewhere! 10, 834

I can rejoin next year if i choose mate. Done the probationary stuff and have a grace period where I rejoin as a full member.

It's simple-The more details you give the more likely someone may be interested. Jeez, it's not like you want to sell it or anything eh!

If I went twice that'd be about £125 a session, that's expensive shooting in my book!

It's not illegal to use a spear in tidal waters in England and I can't find anything different for the Scottish Isles, so I'd guess you should be OK.

It is common and well worth checking. I don't know about 100% though

I had a 301 and sold it as I wanted 3" chambers. Stepson could happily crown me for that decision!

Sell it!!! To me! Or rather my stepson! He's just got his SGC as he enjoys shooting clays when back on leave and wants to be able to shoot any ground... He prefers a S/A and has been on the lookout for a nice Beretta A 300! Seriously, if you are selling, let me know how much, he genuinely is looking.

Its the Xl guys, I suspect file size may be the issue and I've now resorted to deleting all maps on the PC and unit and trying a reinstall..... ...its probably two years since the last time I connected it!

Foolishly I decided it would be a good idea to update my maps on the sat nav. It does a back up and downloads the maps, starts to install to the internal memory but keeps failing. Anyone managed to overcome this? If so how? Trouble is that it now appears to have NO maps on it at all!

That my friend is a proper result! Most of us waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and... I'm sure you get the idea. Well done and congratulations.

For various reasons I decide not to rejoin my local fowling club and as such I am unlikely to go 'fowling this season. But I'll tell you what, I'm wavering now! Season start's close and I keep looking out of the window and checking forecasts!!! Can I do this cold turkey (goose)? Only time will tell!!!

All this does is push wages down until it becomes a case of ' I'll work for as little as you offer as I have no other option!'. Our Eastern European cousins won't stick around for long when the wages are no better than in Poland/Bulgaria/Latvia/Russia et al.

+1, I use my Partner van (same thing) through the summer...useless as soon as it gets slimy and as we are on chalk, that doesn't take long.

Is it right? Hell no! Would I have accepted it as easily as your daughter appears to have done? Hell no! But, I'm in my mid 40's, skilled and never been out of a job. As such I have no idea what the current youngsters have to go through, but, this process can only end badly! Would you want to pick your workforce by who is the most desperate?

Yep, they are definitely flocking together in preparation for the mass exodus from the UK tomorrow evening, will be gone until at least March then!